It's a Feedback World

As an admitted digital immigrant for whom modern technology does not come naturally, I have occasionally been slow to adapt to new tools. However, when I purchased a GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation device for my car, I read a lot of literature about the system and spoke with friends who talked about how helpful it was when they traveled. Once the device was in hand, I read the manual and discovered that even for a digital immigrant it was relatively easy to follow. Soon it was on the dashboard of my car, providing clear visual and auditory directions to help me find my destination. The longer I used the GPS, the more comfortable I became with it, and the more I realized how helpful it was. On a recent trip, as I waited at a stoplight, I realized that the GPS provided excellent feedback, made my trip more enjoyable, and increased my confidence. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that its operation is a valid metaphor for how teachers should provide feedback to students in the learning process. I concluded that GPS (Global Positioning System) and GPF (Growth-Producing Feedback) have a lot in common:

GPS vs. GPF

1. Lays out the entire trip from start to finish. A good teacher frames the learning by explaining to students how new learning will unfold and how it will be assessed.
2. Estimates how much time the trip will take and readjusts as it continues. A wise educator understands that time is the variable in learning, and uses feedback data from students throughout a unit to adjust the time required for learning to occur.
3. Provides ongoing and immediate feedback throughout the entire trip. Research teaches us that students learn best when a teacher administers formative assessments and uses the data to provide feedback to students.
4. Recalculates when you make a wrong turn. Thoughtful teachers realize that it is often necessary to readjust plans when students do not learn in the allotted time.
5. Tracks the trip in stages and provides visual and auditory details. By using a learning-styles inventory, a teacher can use the feedback to plan the best way to meet all student needs.
6. Tells you how far you must go to complete your trip. An essential component of good feedback is teaching students to self-assess their own learning and set goals to complete required learning.
7. Anticipates when traffic jams or roadblocks will occur. By analyzing feedback data and completing a task analysis for planned learning, a skillful teacher can better predict when students might experience frustration and plan accordingly.
8. Indicates points along the way and lets you select stops that matter to you. When a teacher incorporates feedback about how students learn best into planning, they can often give students choices in how to demonstrate their learning.

The GPS system is merely one example of how feedback has become a vital part of our everyday lives. From the time they learn to play video games, children receive and expect feedback on how to move to the next level. Reality television shows determine outcomes based on feedback votes from viewers. As soon as a young person acquires a first cell phone or learns to use a computer, instant messaging, text messaging, and responses from peers become a routine part of their day. And who among us has not completed an online survey, made an online purchase, received a travel confirmation, or clicked on an FAQ to find an answer. In a world in which feedback is prolific and vital to our daily decision making, it seems only logical that our students should be receiving growth-producing feedback on a regular basis. As teachers assess learning and provide students with clear, detailed feedback, students better understand how to adjust their time and focus to meet learning benchmarks. As a result, they will be more motivated to learn, feel more empowered, more readily fulfill learning goals, and grow in self-confidence. Ask yourself: is my GPF system operating at its peak proficiency?